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Qatar Airways Renews its Partnership with Orbis UK

The multiple award-winning airline extends its sponsorship as Official Airline Partner for a further three years

Occasion coincides with an official visit to Qatar by Her Royal Highness, Sophie The Countess of Wessex

DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways has renewed its sponsorship as Official Airline Partner to Orbis UK for a further three years. The airline has been a proud supporter of Orbis and its blindness prevention programmes since 2012.

Orbis is a global charity that brings people together to fight avoidable blindness through access to quality eye care. Together with its partners, Orbis trains eye teams, strengthens eye care services and works on the ground to provide lasting solutions to communities in need.

Orbis’s pioneering Flying Eye Hospital spearheads the charity’s global efforts to transform lives. The world’s only accredited eye hospital with wings is equipped with a state of the art operating theatre which is connected to a class room at the front of the room with a 3D screen, enabling those learning to get a very real view of the surgery taking place. The aircraft also features pre and post-op spaces for patients to recover.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways strongly believes in giving back to the global community and to making a difference. As an airline that connects communities and people around the world, we are delighted to continue our support for Orbis for another three years as Official Airline Partner. This initiative is of great importance to the global communities served by this state of the art flying medical facility, providing crucial eye care to people around the globe.”

Orbis UK Trustee, Dr Robert Walters said: “We are so thankful for Qatar Airways’ trust, friendship and support since 2012. Together we have already hosted the Flying Eye Hospital in Doha three times and facilitated the royal visits, enabling us to gather the support required to launch Qatar Creating Vision. It is only through the power of partnerships that we are able to proudly celebrate the millions of eye tests provided to children and the thousands of people trained to help find those struggling with low vision in communities.”

The renewed sponsorship this week also coincided with a visit from Her Royal Highness, Sophie The Countess of Wessex, to a ‘Qatar Creating Vision’ programme in Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh. There she watched as patients bandages were removed, spoke with the Orbis volunteers transforming lives and the local medical teams undertaking brilliant work.

The Royal Visit concluded in Doha, where Her Royal Highness Sophie The Countess of Wessex also met with H.E. Mr. Al Baker, to celebrate the achievements of Qatar Creating Vision, which has undertaken 2.4 million eye tests for children and provided over 27,000 training sessions to doctors, teachers and community workers, to reach those living with unnecessary blindness.

In 2013, Her Royal Highness Sophie The Countess of Wessex, in her role as the Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), visited Doha with the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital to discuss the devastating impact a lack of access to eye care can have on people across the world. In October 2015, the Qatar Fund for Development and Orbis launched Qatar Creating Vision, an initiative that brings together the people of Qatar in the fight against preventable blindness.

Earlier this year, the aircraft returned to Doha to bring together key stakeholders from across the ophthalmic medical community in Qatar to share knowledge of preferred practices and approaches to eye care.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar, Qatar Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 20th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.

Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world’s fastest-growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017/18, including St. Petersburg, Russia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Canberra, Australia and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently named ‘Airline of the Year’ by the 2017 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class,’ ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’

Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.

Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.

Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves. Qatar Airways, the official FIFA partner, is the official sponsor of many top-level sporting events, including the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cups, reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message - Going Places Together.

Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest international cargo carrier, serves more than 60 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally with more than 200 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters, 12 Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747-8 freighter.